Cost of holidays during school holidays is outrageous...

[MarieKondo]

We can only go on holiday during school holidays. DD’s school is crazy strict about holidays during term time so paying the fine isn’t an option. Are there any tricks when booking that I don’t know about or is this just life for the foreseeable future? One option I’m looking at is literally half the cost if you could go 2 weeks earlier. 😤 any suggested websites or other ideas?

My parents used to pay £1500 for 4 of us half board in the 1990s so I think your expectations re prices may be the issue here.

Holiday prices during school holidays are simply a function of supply and demand. There is a massive spike in demand at the start of the school holiday period, all chasing the same flights and hotel rooms. When that happens, the price can only go one way.

Travel companies hate these seasonal spikes in demand,too. They would much prefer demand to be far more evenly spread throughout the year. Blame the education authorities, not the travel companies. They are the ones who fine people for trying to work round the problems which their policies create.

"There is a massive spike in demand at the start of the school holiday period, all chasing the same flights and hotel rooms. When that happens, the price can only go one way."

True, but its not as simple as supply and demand.

Price discrimination means that those who go during off peak times actually cross subsidise those that go on peak.

The marginal cost of filling a hotel room is minimal, same with seats on a flight, its the high fixed costs that keep the prices high. As long as companies can spread the costs across the season, the actual cost to those in peak times is lower.

Some schools are definitely more lax than others. I've extended our holidays a day or two in order to get cheaper flights and know plenty of other parents who have done similar or even taken a whole week.

As far as I am aware no one has received any kind of reprimand, not even a letter about it.

as long as people dont take the piss and the kids are otherwise attending and doing well the school essentially turna blind eye but I know we are lucky

https://www.change.org/p/stop-fining-parents-for-term-time-holidays?recruiter=334698183&utmsource=shareepetition&utmmedium=copylink&utmmcampaign=psfcombooshareinitial.pacificcpostsappsharegmaillabi.gmailabi.lightningg2primaryshareeoptionsmore.control&utmmcontent=oktpsfftw_clinks%3Acontrol

Worth a sign if like me you find it very difficult to get annual leave in school holidays. Not all jobs get 6 weeks off in the summer like MP's and teachers!

Whilst I would never abuse taking the children out excessively I do object to the nanny state approach to this, one minister for schools Nick Gibb was quoted as saying "ahead teachers know their children best" my head teacher didn't even know my name. I object to the belittling of the parents role and the fact that fines were brought in for persistent truants not to prevent families spending time together. When you both work 60 + hours a week holidays are important family time and if you can't do it in school holidays when can you?

Jakeyboy...I totally agree. It varies enormously from school to school even within the same borough. Also annoys me that parents who can afford independent fee paying school don’t have the same restrictions. In my DD’s school you arevreferred to the EWO for 1 day unauthorised. Any absence is unauthorised without medical evidence. My daughter had 100% attendance then had 1 day off for D & V. DH called school to inform them. Assumed all was fine till we got a letter the following week inviting us to a meeting and reminding us that we need a doctors note to keep our child at home. It’s infuriating. We didn’t take her to the GP as it’s a waste of public resources and an infection risk but school policy insists on it.

Thanks motherofdragons, I fear you may be right but my point is we could easily afford it the week before.

This is why I never went on holiday when DC were small. Far too expensive. We had the occasional day out but most of the time we stayed at home and enjoyed the garden or nearby parks. Less stress all round.

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/parents-to-be-fined-%c2%a31000-for-taking-children-on-holiday-during-term-time/ar-BBSuKFY?ocid=ientp

Fines are to be increased to £1,000 per parent per child in a trial in Lancashire County Council. Coming to an area near you...

Always on the cards that this would happen. it hits those not in private schools, tied to fixed holidays, on lower incomes and unable to afford the fines. Dreadful piece of legislation.

Live in Scotland so quite often flew from Manchester in July before English schools break up for summer - saved hundreds.
Technically travel companies don’t up their prices during school holidays - they lower them at other times when demand is lower

Confused with the comments that companies have to slash prices during term time otherwise no one would go on holiday. What about all the people who don’t have children or ones with kids that have flown the nest or 20-30 yr olds who don’t have kids yet. Don’t most people without kids avoid school
holidays? And I thought I read that millennials are less likely to have kids, there is surely still a big market?

Thank god my mum (who loves the sun) bought a farmhouse in an then unfashionable part of Southern France.

What do you mean? All schools are "crazy strict" about it as they aren't allowed NOT to be - no school is going to turn a blind eye because if half the school buggers off on holiday in early July 2 weeks before the end of term they'll be in trouble!

^^ My school are allowed 10 unauthorised absences a year, most people use them for holiday

Try flying from Edinburgh? Scottish hols don't clash and for some reason Edinburgh cheaper than Glasgow even!

Keep an eye on flight prices and play the waiting game. For cheap deals DO NOT use an agent but book all things independently. I saved about 2k last time and have never paid any more than others for my holidays. Although bear in mind the impact of taking your child out. I have had 2 children request time off during KS1 Sats. I now have to do their SATs a week early and as the other SATs are being undertaken it means there will be 1 TA in my class so all the other children will get no revision that week. They will have to do art while I do their tests or we could get in a supply teacher but we have no money for heating so that is not an option. Sadly it means the other children miss out on lessons the week before their tests because of 2 sets of selfish parents.

OP could you do summer holidays instead?

We had the same budget and we've looked at half term before, but have ended up going AI in the summer hols as it's worked out slightly cheaper. Especially if you can use the very end of the holiday, maybe with an INSET if your school has one on the first day of term.

It doesn't take it down to as cheap as non-school-hols (and here I agree with a PP, just don't look!) but a week AI or half board in the balearics or mainland Spain over the summer hols should be doable on £2.5k.

Last year we booked 2 weeks away using October half term, followed by training day the following Monday and flew back the Friday so kids only had 4 days off each.

Most (but not all so be careful) schools will not issue a fine for 4 days or less.

Maybe have a look at holidays and training days to see if you can do something similar? It definitely made our holiday a lot cheaper.

Why should travel operators lose money because it’s tough on you!!??
It’s shit, but all it is, is that you can’t have the exact holiday you want. If that holiday was the same price all year round, you would just say that’s out of my budget.

Well guess what. It’s a holiday that’s out of your budget.

It is shit but there’s deals to be had, if you keep an eye on prices and look for free child places.

We are going to Majorca for 2 weeks AI at the start of the summer holidays (the day they break up) for £3.2k.

My friend is a head teacher and she said just call in the day before and say he/she is sick and won't be coming in for a few days

To be fair that was 20 years ago I don't know if anything has changed

I have friends in ROI, their have HUGE Summer holidays, and schools have a very relaxed attitude to taking kids out for hols. No fines or anything like that.

Their education system is very good too, and their teachers are highly respected (and use text books) and are very well paid too.

Just saying.

"their kids"

It’s just life - the economics of supply and demand in a free market. It’s a bit like you complaining things in the shops are so cheap in January, but you want to do your Christmas shopping in December! Cut your cloth to fit.
Having said that, you live quite far north in England, so check flights from Glasgow/Prestwick/Edinburgh to make savings on your travel. Scottish schools finish up last week in June and go back mid-August. You could likely mAke big savings flying out of Scotland after about 10th August. October break is roughly 13th to 20th depending on dates.

Lancashire CC have issued a statement saying that the £1000 fine was never raised by them and don’t know how it started but they at it is 100% false. I take my son out for 2 weeks every year and have done since the fines came (2014). I’ve only ever been fined once. Even with the fine we save roughly about £1200 by going late June early July.

The last week of the holidays comes down a bit in price.

Clydeonabike...Edinburgh is a long way from SW London with a 2 year old but ill beat it in mind in a few years 😁